There are numerous weatherboard designs on the market for cladding. The most important feature of a weatherboard design is its cross-sectional profile. This profile dictates the way in which the weatherboards should be installed and the overall appearance of the weatherboard cladding after installation. Commonly, weatherboards are designed to be installed in an overlapping relationship with each other and can be fixed horizontally, vertically or on an angle. Further, some weatherboard designs include grooves that, when installed, cooperate with the grooves of overlapping weatherboards to provide anti-capillary channels. Such channels prevent moisture from getting in behind the weatherboards and causing damage.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show cross-sectional and front views respectively of a known weatherboard design 10 that is defined along its length by front 15 and rear 11 surfaces that extend between upper 5 and lower 7 surfaces. The rear surface 11 of the weatherboard 10 has a sloped portion 12 that is arranged to abut the framing 16 of a building when installed and this enables like weatherboards to be installed in a partially overlapping relationship with each other as shown in FIG. 3. Weatherboards having this design are also provided with wide grooves 13 and 14 along the front 15 and rear 11 surfaces respectively. When such weatherboard cladding is installed, the grooves 13,14 of each weatherboard cooperate with the grooves of overlapping weatherboards to create anti-capillary channels 17 shown in FIG. 3.
During one common installation method, the weatherboards shown in FIGS. 1-3 are fixed to the framing 16 with nails 9 one at a time from the bottom up such that the weatherboards are parallel and have an even overlap up the framing. The heads of the fixing nails 9 are visible on the front surfaces 15 of the weatherboards. In the finished installation, the nails are generally punched below the surface, then filled, sanded and over painted. One method of aligning the weatherboards is to ascertain the required level and then rest the next weatherboard to be installed on a line of nails partially nailed in, which are removed once the weatherboard has been nailed into place, and this leaves another set of nail holes to be filled, sanded and over painted.
Referring to FIG. 4, it has become increasingly common for cavity battens 19 to be provided between the framing 16 and weatherboards 10. The battens 19 create cavities between the framing 16 or wall of the building and the weatherboards 10 and these cavities provide a drainage path for water and/or moisture that may penetrate in behind the weatherboards. The use of cavity battens is particularly desirable in coastal properties or buildings that are situated in exposed areas that have harsh weather conditions. The cavity battens are used to form drainage channels and the increased drainage allowed by the cavities reduces the likelihood of water or moisture penetrating the framing cavity, the cause of rotting and decay of the internal structure and interior lining.
In the applicant's co-pending international PCT patent application publication WO2008/030114, the contents of which is herein incorporated by reference, a concealed fixing system for cladding is described. In this concealed fixing system, the rows of weatherboards are held in place on the framing by rows of fixing devices that are each arranged to engage into a section of a recess provided along the rear face of each board. Additionally, nails are punched through the weatherboards in the overlapping region of adjacent weatherboards for additional securement of the boards to the framing.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative fixing system for cladding, and/or an associated cladded structure.